To Love a Jedi

Found

Kinaldi Venas was scared. Out of his mind. He crouched behind a waste can and tried to hide himself as best as he could. He shuddered as he heard the men's drunken voices coming nearer. This was what he feared most in his entire life. His father and a group of men were heavily intoxicated with drink, and were on a rampage. He had only just escaped his home to avoid their dangerous wrath. Many times he had been beaten terribly after "A drink or two".

Kinaldi was a native and resident of Alderaan. He was only 4 years old. He had come into existence when his unmarried parents were at a bar a bit too long. The result was a child with no hope of a better life, or even an escape from it. He lived in the wrong side of the capital, in the slums. To get a full night's rest would be a treasured gift. Usually he would awaken by the gambling men downstairs. His nutrition was terrible, as he lived on the scraps he could beg off the streets, or occasionally steal.

He was dirty from head to foot, possessing a quiet countenance and invisible personality. His raggedy brown hair did not blend with his curious, ice-blue eyes.

But right now, he just wished that he would not be seen. The band was getting nearer. He could hear the awkwardly stomping footsteps connecting with the noise of objects being thrown, kicked, broken, or bumped into. The cursing men finally arrived at his hiding place, but they would never have seen him if a big, burly fellow hadn't knocked over the waste can he was crouching behind.

As it came down upon him, he cried out in pain and terror. The band stopped and walked toward the noise. A skinny man picked him up by his hair and managed to gurgle out,

"Whu's this?" Pointing to the boy. His own father came up to him, and seemed to look him in the eye. The child tried not to gag as he inhaled the stench of alcohol. His dad's half-lidded eyes shifted to his companion that had asked.

"I dunno." Then, out of the blue, he threw a punch across the boy's hip. Everyone cheered as he shouted in pain and was dropped. Another man kicked him in the side, seeming to relish the pain in the child's face. The big man that had knocked over the trash can hauled him up by his arm, and brought down a hit to the head.

The world went black for Kinaldi.

After hurling through the infinite blackness of the subconscious for a terrible long time, he heard a faint beeping. As the noise grew louder, it became rhythmic. He could now hear voices. Soft voices. The world was suddenly appearing again, but blurry. He realized he was alive, and his eyes were open. Everything became clear again, and he could see he was resting on a bed in a bustling medical bay.

A dark-skinned man, clad in a tan tunic and boots walked up to him. His face was set, almost in a constant frown. He was bald, and carried a small rod that was clipped to his belt.

He stopped near the boy and asked, "How are you feeling?"

His voice was deep, but was laced with care and compassion. The child managed to pluck up his courage and say, "My head hurts."

The man gave a slight smile. "That will go away soon."

The boy looked into the man's eyes. "Who are you?" He inquired timidly.

"I am Mace Windu. I'm what's called a Jedi Knight, a peacekeeper and general of the Grand Army of the Republic. You were brought to me unconscious and hurt after a woman found you in an alley."

"My dad… drinks bad things… and he gets real mad with his friends… and sometimes hurts me."

"You're safe now. Your father cannot hurt you anymore."

Kinaldi was feeling much better. The Jedi called Mace was taking him to a big building on a far-away planet, called "Coruscant". He drank in every new sight he saw. To be on another planet was truly incredible. So many tall buildings, and a terribly large amount of ships and speeders. Not to mention the endless flow of beings. So many people.

Once he could see the massive doors to the temple-place, he felt suddenly serene. A quietness of the spirit and peace of the mind. Mace called it the "Jedi Temple". It's where the people like him, called Jedi, hang out.

The halls were the size of whole rooms, and scores of jedi milled about, with little noise at all. They stopped at a closed door. Mace turned to him.

"When we go in, keep quiet. And do not speak until someone speaks to you."

He nodded in affirmation. Mace smirked slightly before entering. He acted a lot older than he was. Well, being Force-sensitive did do that to you, he supposed.

The door beeped and opened. Kinaldi's wandering eyes soaked in everything in the room, from the serious Jedi in chairs to the circular floor and ceiling. This was the Jedi Council chamber.

A small green jedi in between the others, who Mace said was called Yoda, spoke to Master Windu. "Master Windu, found a Jedi Initiate, have you?"

"Yes master. His previous home… will not accept him, so that is out of the question. I took him in because he is strong in the Force, master."

Yoda made a sound in his throat and then replied. "Perform the test, we shall."

Mace looked down at the boy. He breathed, "Stay right there."

Mace walked over to an empty chair beside Yoda and produced a datapad.

Windu spoke to the child. "Kinaldi, tell us what picture is on the screen."

Kinaldi nodded and closed his eyes. He could make out a shape. "A… ship."

Then he saw another. "A cup."

The last image he could see, but it took him a minute to say what it was. "A lightsaber."

Kinaldi opened his eyes and Mace put away the datapad.

Yoda spoke again. "Trained as a jedi, you shall be."

"In here. Sit on the floor; Master Sinube will be coming soon."

Kinaldi went into the room and sat with the other Jedi initiates. They were all diverse species, but all wore smaller versions of the Jedi tunics. An old, gray-haired and hunchbacked figure came through a door.

"I am Master Sinube. I shall begin your journey as a young Jedi, for one day, you will become a Jedi Knight, or even a Master."

The Initiates whispered excitedly amongst each other. Kinaldi wasn't spoken to, but he didn't care. He just wasn't that kind of being. He wanted only a few close friends.

And the first was about to arrive.

The doors opened, and a small, auburn-skinned Togrutan burst through and fell down the steps. She meekly got up and said, with a huge blush, "My apologies for being late, Master."

There was something about her that made her different from the others.

"Now that the last Initiate has arrived, let us begin." He turned and motioned for the group to follow him.

The Togrutan didn't seem too social either. She stayed behind the others and quietly followed. He couldn't resist but to gravitate towards her.

Once she was just a few feet away, he turned his head and asked her, "I'm Kinaldi Venas. What's your name?"

She turned. "I'm Ahsoka Tano."